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Fort Stewart soldiers decorated for 1st Afghan deployment

FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) — Army soldiers from a Georgia-based infantry unit are being decorated for acts of bravery during their first tour in Afghanistan.

About 160 Fort Stewart soldiers from B Company of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment gathered for a medal ceremony Wednesday. A dozen of the troops were awarded Bronze Star medals while two others receive Purple Hearts for being wounded in combat.

Among those recognized was 20-year-old Spc. Richard Baker, a young medic awarded the Bronze Star and an Army Commendation Medal for his efforts trying to save a special forces sergeant who was shot in the head during an ambush. Commanders say Baker worked to stop the wounded man's bleeding as bullets rained around him.

The battalion deployed 680 troops to Afghanistan early this year. They returned in October.